Earthbag Village – One Community Pod 1

The earthbag architecture village (Pod 1) is the first of seven different sustainable village models to be built. The Earthbag Village was chosen as the first village to be built because we believe it will be the most affordable and easy to duplicate. It demonstrates the earthbag method of construction along with many eco-artistic external and functional internal options. This page contains the following sections related to the Earthbag Village:

WHY AN EARTHBAG VILLAGE

Pod One’s primary focus is to demonstrate maximally affordable sustainable housing that can be duplicated as easily as possible. Building with earthbags is easier to duplicate than most other methods because the bags are easy to purchase and ship, earth is free, and the mixture needed to stabilize the earth (lime or cement) is also affordable and globally available. Additionally, although we are currently working on obtaining permitting for our buildings, we chose the 150-200 square foot (14-18.6 sq meter) size to allow most people in most counties in the US to be able to duplicate our designs without permits. We will also open source share information from dome homes and earthbag villages thatother people and communities build using our open source Earthbag Village blueprints to increase interest and global support for this method as a duplicable construction option.

Here is a 3-D interactive showing the general layout and some features for a 6-dome village cluster:

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO EVOLVING THIS SUSTAINABILITY COMPONENT WITH US

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ADVANTAGES OF EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION

The advantages of Earthbag construction are many:

Cost: Earthbag uses earth as its primary material and this makes it a very cost-effective method of construction

Transport: The walls for one hundred 200 sq foot domes or other structures can be easily be built from a single container-load of earthbags. Also, local site-sourced fill material is used in the earthbags and this dramatically reduces fossil fuel use and transport costs to the site. It also means environmental damage from quarrying is eliminated

Remote Location: As only the bags (and concrete if desired) need to be transported to the site to build with earthbag construction, it allows for easier construction in remote locations. Bales or rolls of bags can even be carried on foot

Carbon Footprint: Even when built with some concrete, the carbon footprint of earthbag construction is much lower than with a building constructed using conventional materials (cement, clay bricks and steel), which have enormous embedded energy (energy needs for production) and thus carbon footprint

Saves Timber: Earthbag walls use little or no timber. Though theoretically a sustainable resource, wood is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive

Minimal Skill Required: The level of skilled labor required is small as the construction method, once demonstrated, is very simple and can be completed by both men and women. This also means that local job creation is a possible benefit

Minimal Equipment Needs: No forms or expensive tools or machinery are needed

Minimal Waste Production: Earthbag construction produces almost no on-site waste generation, a huge difference when compared to the volume of material that usually ends up in a landfill after a traditional home build

Longevity: Appropriately designed and constructed earthbag buildings will stand for decades if not centuries. Not having to replace them means saving even more resources and further reducing waste

Structural Strength: Earthbag is one of the strongest and most earthquake resistant building methods available

Uniquely “Connects to the Earth”: Living in a home made almost entirely from earth is a unique experience and many people feel more connected to nature and our planet by living/staying in an earthbag constructed home

Sound Insulator: Earthbag walls are a superb insulator of sound and provide a peaceful interior even with very high-level noise nearby. When used as an interior wall, earthbag construction will allow for privacy between rooms

Heating and Cooling: Earthbag walls also exhibit high levels of thermal mass, which is the measure of a material’s ability to absorb, store and transfer heat. Earthbag walls that are greater than 12 inches thick (0.3 m) exhibit the thermal flywheel effect. At the hottest time of the day, the walls will absorb the heat, but they don’t release it into the structure until the walls start cooling at night. This creates about a 12-hour-delay between the time in which the walls soak in the heat and when they release it. For this reason, earthbag homes work best in locales where there is a significant difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. See also our heating and cooling page

LIMITATIONS/DISADVANTAGES OF EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION

Earthbag construction also has some limitations:

Size Limitation: In terms of actually constructing the house, there are some limits on design. To remain structurally sound, earthbag homes are relatively small. For a domed earthbag home, 20 feet (6 m) is generally the recommended maximum diameter of the building (Source). Bigger structures can be accomplished by building a series of interconnected domes, or by extending underground

Designs Not for Everyone: Some people find the design of an earthbag home to be “heavy” and have the feeling of living in a cave. The earthbag home also requires a great deal of plaster in construction to insure water integrity

Heating and Cooling: Earthbag walls have a low R-value (measure of resistance to heat flow through a given thickness of material) and this can present challenges in some climates. See our heating and cooling page for extensive details about the benefits and challenges of heating and cooling with earthbag construction

Permitting Challenges: As with most alternative building methods, much thought needs to be put into the final design and getting proper approval/permits from your local building authority can be a challenge

Earthbag construction also has a lot of flexibility for artistic external aesthetic options. The diversity that is possible is not realistic to show in renders, but demonstrating this diversity on the outside of these same foundational designs is something we will fully explore and demonstrate once we’ve addressed and open sourced all the structures exactly as shown here.

MURPHY BED COUPLE’S LAYOUT

This Murphy Bed couple’s layout contains a queen-sized Murphy Bed, built-in nightstands, shelving, a loft storage area, and a combination closet/dressing area. Here you see the bed folded down to provide comfortable and spacious sleeping for two. On either side of the Murphy Bed are built-in drawers that double as storage and nightstands with built-in down-lights and shelves above. Behind and to both sides, each adult has his or her own personal closet/storage/dressing area, and on one side, there’s a ladder that leads to the loft above that could be storage, a small play room or child’s room, or even a guest bed area.

The One Community Earthbag Village | Concept Render – Murphy Bed Section Cut

When the bed is up, the underside displays a picture-frame design that is both decorative and functional. Decorative in that it enlivens what would otherwise be a plain surface with a pleasing design, and functional in that it also disguises a fold-down worktable large enough for two adults to be working on their laptops, one at either end, at the same time.

2-BED CHILDREN’S OR GUEST LAYOUT

This second furniture configuration provides two single beds suitable for children (though not toddlers) up to their teenage years. Below each bed are ample storage drawers on wheels and/or gliders and, behind the bed against the wall, a built-in bookcase with adjustable shelves that takes advantage of otherwise wasted space left by the bed against the curved wall. Each child has his or her own desk with a pencil drawer and a desk chair, and together they share a chifferobe for hanging clothes and other storage. Completing the set is a ladder on casters that provides means to the loft storage above.

The One Community Earthbag Village | Concept Render – Children’s Furniture Model

2-BED STUDENT’S OR GUEST LAYOUT

The third furniture configuration is designed with two students in mind, ranging from high school through college or university. It is basically the same as the children’s configuration above, but it adds an additional rolling file cabinet/storage unit on wheels. It also has a folding top that opens to an approximately 2’ x 2’ table space. By placing the cabinet on wheels, students can move it anywhere in the dome for their personal use, allowing them to work on their laptops while sitting on their bed for instance.

The One Community Earthbag Village | Concept Render – Student’s Furniture Model

NET-ZERO WATER RECYCLING BATHROOMS

In the South end of the village will be two net-zero water use toilet structures. These are called “net-zero bathrooms” because the water used for these bathrooms can be supplied entirely by rainwater collection, so the net water use will be zero.

The One Community Earthbag Village Communal Shower and Net-Zero Bathroom | Concept Render – View Looking East

SUMMARY

Pod 1 is designed to demonstrate affordable, sustainable housing that can be duplicated as easily as possible. The earthbag construction method and cozy size of each unit are used for these reasons. The arrangement of the home clusters minimizes land needs and adds to the efficiency of this design.

FREQUENTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS

Q: Where can I get more information about your philosophies for world change?

To demonstrate a size most people in other US counties will be able to build without permits

The purpose of these living units is primarily for sleeping and intimacy – socialization areas, entertainment rooms, recreation space, kitchens, etc. are instead incorporated elsewhere (see the Duplicable City Center, Tropical Atrium, etc.) and the fulfilled living model and other design elements of One Community are focused on providing an unparalleled diversity of options for both active lifestyles and private spaces for retreat and relaxation

Q: If One Community is supposed to be an example community to get the mainstream interested and for others to duplicate, how will you motivate people to live in low-tech residences like earthbag houses?

Q: What is the bathroom and shower to living-unit ratio, and how far are they from the homes?

For this seventy-two unit village there are 24 bathroom stalls and 20 showers built into the layout. The units the farthest away from the showers are about 120 ft (36.58 m) away. The units the farthest away from the bathrooms are about 150 ft (45.72 m) away.

Q: Why is the village designed to fit on only 1 acre?

With the growing population of the planet, we see maximizing space efficiency as an essential component of sustainability. From a Highest Good society perspective, we also see people choosing to live closely together versus distancing themselves as a growth and communication opportunity. Other reasons for this choice include:

For properties (like ours) that are zoned agricultural and commercial, property taxes are based on the specific use of the land. The higher the agricultural-use to residential-use ratio, the lower property taxes will be

Q: How will privacy be addressed with the dome clusters being so close together?

Privacy will be addressed primarily through grouping of like-minded people and communication with each other. The domes construction also makes them very good for containing sound and easy to make private by pulling shades. It is also important to note that additional private spaces, socialization spaces, and recreation spaces are all within a short walk.

Q: How do persons living in poverty go about building the communities that One Community suggests?

Our goal is to keep bringing the prices down for those who want to build with their own funds while also providing enough financial benefit for investors so that they’ll fund building them also. Both cases will provide opportunity for those who have nothing but time and labor to contribute.

Q: What were the initial inspirations for these designs?

With 7 villages to be designed, and a desire for artistic and unique appearances that also had a deeper relationship to the purpose/intent of each village, we drew inspiration from the 7-chakra system from Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism and the Japanese 5-elements philosophy.

Note: One Community does not endorse or subscribe to any one spiritual philosophy. You can read more about our philosophy on spirituality and religion on our Spirituality Page.

The Earthbag Village was designed thinking of the Root (1st) Chakra from Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism and the Earth Element (“chi” & “tsuchi”) from the Japanese 5-elements philosophy. These ideas coincided with the earth building material and the focus of maximal affordability and durability. The associated color of “red” helped develop the color palette for this village and we further aligned, diversified, and distinguished the purpose and intent of the village by looking at One Community’s core values and focusing on the values of Highest Good for All, Open Source, Sustainability, and Community.

Earthbag Village Color Palette – Click for High-Resolution PDF

To further share the design process for this village, here are some of the initial renders and design drawings:

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